Perry Barr Reservoir

Perry Barr Reservoir
Buildings at Perry Barr Reservoir
Location	Birmingham
Coordinates	52°33′21″N 1°52′43″W / 52.555846°N 1.878662°W / 52.555846; -1.878662Coordinates: 52°33′21″N 1°52′43″W / 52.555846°N 1.878662°W / 52.555846; -1.878662
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Piped by gravity from Elan Valley
Basin countries	United Kingdom
Water volume	83 million litres

Perry Barr Reservoir is a covered drinking water reservoir, in north Birmingham, England. Built on the site of the former Perry Barr Farm, it is not, despite its name, in the modern Perry Barr area, but nearby Kingstanding, at grid reference SP083951.

The reservoir is supplied by gravity from The Elan Valley, via Frankley Water Treatment Works and the trunk mains system.

The reservoir holds 83 million litres of water and supplies areas such as Kingstanding, Perry Barr, Great Barr and Witton.

City of Birmingham Water Department sign at Perry Barr Reservoir

Sign describing Perry Barr Reservoir

When built, it was in open countryside, but its surroundings are now urban. There are two old, matching signs at the entrance. One reads:

City of Birmingham Water Department

the other:

The water in this reservoir (capacity 18 million gallons) has flowed 86 miles, without being pumped, though tunnels & pipes from the mountains of mid-Wales.

In August 2013, Severn Trent launched a £2 million project to build a 2 1/2 mile pipeline linking the reservoir to South Staffordshire Water's Barr Beacon Reservoir, to allow for the exchange of water in emergencies such as severe droughts.^[1]

References